Is portrait painting still a legitimate and practical profession?

Question

I am talking about painting portraits, not taking photographs. I am in college and I'm thinking about changing my major from psychology to painting. I was wondering if people still get their portraits painted nowadays. Do you think there is still a market for this? Could I actually make a living from this? Or is this something I would have to do as a side job if I really wanted to paint?

Answer 1

Yes, there's a market for it, if you're good. $5,000 a pop or more, depending on how good you are.

Answer 2

In the arts it is often hard to figure out how much money a person really earns, and to what extent they subsidise their income by private means. There are a few portrait artists who manage to scrape by, usually by producing pictures for institutions (banks; courts; the armed services; educational institutions) and sometimes by producing portraits for private clients (usually pieces commemorating graduations, marriages etc). There are a fair number of people who will pay you to produce paintings based on photographs. From an artists perspective this is generally a highly unsatisfactory, and mechanistic process. You should consider the following before making your descision: 1. It will take you between 3 and 7 years to develop the skills necessary to paint (in oils) a good portrait from life confidently. 2. Finding clients will be considerably easier for you if you have upper class social connexions. This is because commissions come largely from personal reccomendations. 3. You will have quite considerable costs (studio, advertising etc) and you will have to find the means to survive for a few years at first until your reputation becomes established. 4. You will have to live in a place near where wealthy people live, and where there is a settled interest in the arts. 5. There is a good chance that in the process of training you realise that the thing that interests you most about portraiture is nor producing things that the client has asked for, but rather following your own creative vocation. The best comparasion I can make is probably with being a tailor; albeit that a tailor does not require his clients to spend literally hours motionless in from of him!

Answer 3

Yes, people still have portraits painted, but not enough people to allow you to eat regularly if your depending on that as a livelyhood.
Though perhaps using a black velvet media may improve your chances a bit.
Of course you will also starve with a degree in psychology unless you get a doctorate.
You want renumeration, consider engineering or some other technology career.

Answer 4

Not real experienced at this.. but seems any painter who is any good..Doesn't make any money till after they are dead. Then their paintings go way up in price.. Good luck

Answer 5

yes! it is more common in Europe